COP 26 MOST WANTED

COP26 held in 2021, Glasgow was the most important climate summit since Paris. As an artivist project for the event, photographer Ted Leeming, supported by EcoArt, produced the COP26 Most Wanted pack of cards, exploring the various issues that contribute to the emergency and solutions we can all include in our daily lives to be part of the solution.

The concept was based around the Iraq Most Wanted card deck produced for the US army to identify the family and generals of Saddam Hussein‘s regime.  Packs of cards were sent to activists across the UK and as far afield as Canada and New Zealand who ‘installed’ them in galleries, museums, towns and venues to raise awareness. “I still find the odd card stuck on a hoarding which brings a smile of memories” says Ted. “And working with the EcoArt team allowed me access to a much wider audience than I could have achieved on my own. Thanks guys. “

The COP26 Most Wanted deck identifies the main causes and consequences of climate change, noting achievable solutions and mind resets we can all adopt today.

These include principally:

We – not them – are both the problem and the solution. 

We can no longer simply wait for ‘them’ to address the imminent threat facing us all. 

We must all ‘Be the Change’. 

Playing cards are a recurring theme in contemporary art practice, with both Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali producing their own decks of Tarot cards, while American photographer Larry Sultan created a series of ‘Baseball Trading Cards’ featuring the luminaries of the American photography scene in 1975.

Ted Leeming is an environmental photographer based in Scotland and part of the photography collective Leeming:Paterson whose practice focuses on issues surrounding climate breakdown.

“The decks are fantastic. So trenchant and timely. And so well conceptualized — the combination of catchphrase, image, scientific fact, and concrete action is captivating and powerful. The entire deck creates a perfect balance of alarm, outrage and pragmatism that is effective at compelling constructive actions. You use the card deck format to its fullest and most complex advantage” Jim Drobnick <jim@displaycult.com>